Chuck Hagel: Back Obama's choice for defence fumbles on Iran

President Barack Obama’s nominee to be the next US defence secretary fumbled
questions about America’s stance towards Iran Thursday, as he struggled
through a Senate confirmation hearing.

By Raf Sanchez, Washington

6:49PM GMT 31 Jan 2013

Between withering attacks from former colleagues on his past positions on the Iraq war and Israel, Chuck Hagel, a Republican ex-senator, said he supported “containment” of Iran’s nuclear programme.

Mr Obama rejects the Cold War-era doctrine, insisting the US will prevent an Iranian nuclear weapon. After being handed a note by an aide, Mr Hagel said he had misspoken, adding: “We don’t have a position on containment.” He was corrected by Carl Levin, the chairman of the Senate armed service committee, who told him: “We do have a position on containment, which is we do not favour containment.”

Mr Hagel also surpised the hearing by saying that Iran, led by an autocratic ayatollah, had "an elected, legitimate government, whether we agree or not".

He later retracted the word "legitimate" after the White House refused to agree with his description. Mr Hagel said he merely meant that Iran had been recognised by the UN and maintained diplomatic relations with many western countries.

Mr Hagel’s unsure footing, on a topic that will be one of the next defence secretary’s top priorities, compounded concerns among Republican senators, who lined up to assail him for past judgments.

The 66-year-old Nebraskan, who defended his record and pledged he would not hesitate to use the “full force” of the US military, was sharply criticised by John McCain, the veteran Arizona senator.

Mr McCain, a fellow Vietnam veteran, called Mr Hagel “an old friend” before accusing him of dodging questions and attacking “the quality of your professional judgment and your worldview on critical areas of national security”.

He repeatedly attacked Mr Hagel for his opposition to the “surge” of US forces in Iraq in 2007, which the then-senator predicted would be a disaster. Mr Hagel declined to say whether he had been proved right or wrong, saying he would leave that verdict to “history”.

“History has already made a judgment on the surge, sir, and you were on the wrong side of it,” said Mr McCain, in a bad-tempered exchange.

Mr Hagel has been under intense pressure since his nomination over controversial statements about gay people and the power of the “Jewish lobby” in US politics. Some Republican members of the Senate, a majority of which must endorse his nomination, have pledged to vote against it.

In his opening statement, he acknowledged past mistakes but insisted that “no one individual vote, quote, or statement defines me, my beliefs, or my record”.

Republicans further questioned Mr Hagel’s record on Iran, including his previous opposition to some sanctions and his calls for “unconditional” negotiations with Tehran.

The party released a statement calling him “weak on Iran” and the “wrong choice” for secretary of defence.

Mr Hagel said at another point that he was committed to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb and “absolutely” supported keeping a military options on the table. “We will not hesitate to use the full force of the United States military in defence of our security,” he said.

Democrats rallied round Mr Hagel at the hearing, repeatedly mentioning how he was wounded while serving alongside his brother in Vietnam, but also asked for reassurances on his commitment to Israel.

Asked about his 2006 reference to the strength of the “Jewish lobby” in Washington, Mr Hagel said: “I already noted that I should have used another term and I’m sorry, I regret it.”

Mr Hagel was briefly heckled by gay rights activists, who protested his 1998 description of a US ambassador as “openly, aggressively gay”. He struck a conciliatory note, saying “all men and women deserve the same rights” and promising to continue Mr Obama’s policy of allowing gay people to serve openly in the military.

He was criticised by Republicans for his “more than troubling” support of Global Zero, a campaign to eliminate nuclear weapons. Mr Hagel countered that Ronald Reagan had also supported a nuclear-free world, but said he was opposed to unilateral disarmament.

The White House also drafted in two former chairs of the Senate armed services committee - one Democrat and one Republican - to offer their support for Mr Hagel’s nomination.